Piano-action.



No. 819,328. PATBNTBD MAY 1, 1906. J. L. WILSON.

PIANO ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29| 1905.

W ab' QQUYT fZy/WWMM borne bythe top of the abstract which enwhichunites the abstract to the wippen. In

JOSEPH L. WILSON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PIANO-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.ratented May 1, 1906.

Application led May 2.9, 1905. Serial No. 262,909.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. WILSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Piano-Actions,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that portion of the piano-action relating to themechanism for causing the hammers to strike the wires and the Objectsthereof are to provide a device which will be simple inconstruction,positive and effective in operation, which will quickly and easilyrepeat no matter how rapidlyth'e piano-key is operated either on a fullor partial stroke of the key; also to provide an action in which theparts are more durable and cheaper to manufacture and have betterrepeating actionthan the piano-actions in common use. I accomplish theseobjects by the mechanism described herein and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, which is a side elevation of my'improvedpiano-action.

In the drawing the rear end of the pianokey 1 carries a cup 2, having ascrew-threaded shank 3, by means of which the height of the cup abovethe key-shank is regulated. This cup carries the lower end of theabstract 4, which is pivotally secured by pin 5 to the Wippen 6. Justabove the point of engagement of the abstract with the wippen alongitudinal slit 7 is cut in the wippen, so as to form of that part ofthe wippen to which the abstract is pivoted a spring and allow the headof the abstract to be held in springpressed contact with the mufli e-pad8, secured to the main body ofthe wippen, whereby the force of the blowstruck upon the key will be gages the main body of the wippen, therebyrelieving any strain upon the pivotal `pin a flange 9, secured theretoand near the front end of the wippen, is pivotally mounted jack 10. Theupper end of the jack is normally held beneath hammer-butt 11 on therear end of the hammer-shank 12 by spring 13. Thev throw of the ack isregulated by screw 14 in the end of the wippen bearing against the heel15 of the jack. The wippen is pivotally mounted by pin 16 in a ange 17',secured to the frame 18, and between said flange and the connectionbetween the wippen and abstract a rider-ange 19 is secured to thewippen. On the upper end of the riderflange is pivotally secured therepeating-lej ver 20. On the rear end of this repeatinglever is theshank-rest 21, which is preferably made of felt, and on the front endthereof is the butt-rest 22. These two rests support the hammer-shankand shank-butt when at rest andI in playing the butt-rest moves upwardlyand is always held very close to the hammer-butt, so that the jack willinstantly catch the hammer-butt and cause the hammer 23 to strike thestring 24. The repeating-lever is provided with regulatingscrews 25 and26, which engage a spring 27, secured to the wippen near the front endthereof. These regulating-screws and spring enable the repeating-leverto be adjusted or set in any desired position for rapid repeating. Thehammer is pivoted to a flange 27, secured to the frame, andastop 28causes the disengagement of the jack with the hammer-butt,

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a piano-action a hammer having a butt and a shank g arepeating-lever having one end thereof contacting with the shank and theother end with the butt of the hammer a wippen upon which saidrepeatinglever is pivotally mounted; a ack mounted on said wippen; meanssecured to said wippen to regulate the throw of said jack; and means foroperating said wippen.

2. In a piano-action a hammer having a shank and a butt; a wippen; arepeating-lever carried thereby; adjusting devices in saidrepeating-lever; a spring secured to said wippen engaged by theadjusting devices of the repeating-lever whereby the position of therepeating-lever is regulated; and means for-operating the parts.

3. In a piano-action the combination of a hammer having a shank providedwith a butt and a repeating-lever having one end thereof adapted toengage the shank of the hammer and the other end to engage the butt; andmeans to actuatesaid repeatinglever.

4. In a piano-action a wippen having oneI portion thereof partiallyseparated from the IOO other portion by a longitudinal slit, whereby thelower portion forms a spring; and an abstract secured to said springportion of the wippen and passing therethrough and contacting With themain body of the wippen whereby the same is actuated.

5. In a piano-action the combination of a IIO Wippen pivotally securedat one end and longitudinally separated for a portion of its length7 thelower portion forming a spring; an abstract carried by the springportion of said Wippen and having its head engaging the other portion ofsaid Wippen; a jack carried by the lree end of said wippen; meansCarried by said Wippen to regulate the movement of said jack; a hammerhaving a butt, said butt being engaged by said jack; and arepeating-lever carried by said Wippen retaining the hammer-butt inposition to be instantly engaged by the jack.

In a piano-action a Wippen having a spring portion on the bottom thereofand an abstract secured to said spring portion, said day ol May, i905.

JOSEPH L. WILSON. Vitnesses:

G. E. HARPHAM, HENRY T. HAZARD.

